Prelude to the Holidays

I've always considered "the Holidays" to be the stretch of fall and winter encompassing Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. As a child growing up in areas with four seasons, Labor Day signaled the end of summer, school started with the purchase of new winter clothes, and we were off on a hard ride through fall eagerly anticipating costumes and trick or treating.

Living in Phoenix,  the one thing I really miss about the four seasons is fall. I miss the trees turning colors and the cooler temperatures. Although we'll be back up to 99 degrees on Friday (10/16), we've been fortunate to have some beautiful fall weather for this area already with temps in the low 80s.

Still, other than walking into a craft store stacked to the rafters with fall colors in flowers, leaves and ribbons, it can be tough to get that fall feeling here. There is a wonderful traveling arts and crafts show, the Briar Patch Marketplace, that moves from school to school in the Valley on the weekends. They have over 100 exhibitors with all kinds of great products, many hand-made, for purchase. Here is the video clip from their website taken during a Christmas show in late November. Check out the ladies shopping in shorts and sandals -- that's Phoenix!

We did a family girls' day out last Sunday and five of us attended the Briar Patch. Myself, both of my daughters, granddaughter and step-granddaughter went and had the best time. We looked at every little thing. We read every hand-painted sign -- some of our favorites ...

• Who needs Halloween. I'm a witch all year.
• Kiss me good night every night.
• We've been through a lot together and most of it was your fault.
• Family ... started with two people falling in love.

Halfway through, we stopped and shared a couple of the delicious, enormous cinnamon rolls they sell. Just, yum! I gave the kids a small allowance to spend and they worked it, each getting 3 items for $10 -- an animal jewelry box with a necklace inside, Avon body paint soap and a peanut brittle cookie. They are pretty good little shoppers! Having promised myself (and hubby) that I would not bring home one more decoration for the house, since we are currently organizing and getting rid of stuff, I was able to wander through and just enjoy the atmosphere. My two granddaughters out front, giggling and inspecting everything; my two daughters walking behind, talking non-stop. It was absolutely perfect.


I did spend $5.00 on a package of peanut brittle for hubby made by Fresh From Rowie's in Glendale. This is one of his favorite treats that I've never even attempted to make. A woman who worked with him years ago is the grand master peanut brittle maker with an old family recipe. She makes it on the soft side so it melts in your mouth more than breaking your teeth. Hubby occasionally sees her during the holidays and I am always so glad because she gives him peanut brittle and cures his craving.

So we spent a lovely few hours at the craft fair, then had lunch at In-N-Out Burger. It was definitely not a low-fat day. But what a marvelous time and shopping at the craft fair sure helped kick me into the fall spirit.

A few years back, we spent a week on Cape Cod during September. The colors were just beginning to turn. I got a package of New England post cards to bring home. Here is one of my favorites ...

photo by james randklev

Gold Push Pins

As we have been rehanging pictures and plaques and decorations after painting the walls, I wasn't happy with all of the hangers we were using. I like to hang small, light-weight decorative items on push pins. They pop in and out of the wall very easily (you don't need a hammer), have colors that can blend nicely and are inexpensive. Our home office is painted a very dark green and we have used green push pins that look great.

I decided with our new wall paint colors that I would like gold, but shopping for gold push pins was an exercise in futility so I decided to paint my own. Bought metallic paint at Michaels for $1.39. Found a piece of styrofoam to push them into while painting and drying.



Put on a first coat of gold paint over clear push pins and they were a little patchy looking. Let that dry for half-an-hour, then put on a second coat. It looked much better.



I am very pleased with the way they turned out. Here is a serenity prayer cross that I have over my kitchen desk, hung with a newly-painted gold push pin on our newly-painted Plateau walls. Didn't take much "courage to change the things I can" with this project. Just a little do-it-yourself time.

Hot Water Bottles

I got my Fall 2009 Knit Picks catalog in the mail this week. Their tag line is "Passionately Committed to Affordable Luxury Knitting." Pictured on page 15 are these very cute Hot Water Bottle Covers and they are selling a book by designer Chrissie Day with knit patterns for 30 of them! And it occurs to me ... does anyone actually still use a hot water bottle?



While I imagine we had at least one around the house while I was growing up, I don't remember ever using anything but an electric heating pad. I've never even owned a hot water bottle and I'm in my 50s.

According to my Internet research, the hot water bottle was invented in 1903 by a Croatian, Slavoljub Eduard Penkala (Budapest, Patent No 29276). Electric heating pads were invented in 1912 by an American, S.I. Russell, to warm patients suffering from tuberculosis.



My personal favorite for at least 15 years has been this microwave heating pad that feels as though it is filled with sand. I am going to make these for gifts someday, but will have to open a seam on mine to inspect the contents. I bought it at a craft fair and it's long and skinny and wraps cozily around the neck. I am prone to back spasms and it is great for fitting into just the right sore muscle and stays warm for a good long time.

But, back to my original thought? Does anyone still use old-fashioned hot water bottles?

The Flow of Creativity - Teach Someone Something Today!

As so many families do, we have a wonderful history of creative people in our family -- quilters, crocheters, knitters, painters, photographers, woodworkers, writers, singers, musicians, cooks, cake decorators and crafters. As each new generation grows, it's fun to see what talents will emerge.

However, we all had to start somewhere. I remember being around 4 or 5 years old, sitting on the screened in front porch of my great-grandmother's house in Iowa as she taught me to cross- stitch. I was lucky as a child to have many beautiful hand-made dresses in gingham checked fabric that had designs cross-stitched into the skirts and bodices. This is called Chicken Scratch and it's a wonderful art.

Chicken Scratch Apron

It is summertime and I can vividly see myself sitting in my little shorts and crop top, head bent down over my beginning cross-stitch stretched tight in a small embroidery hoop. I'm pretty sure I had my tongue out, because we all know that helps you concentrate, and a frown creasing my forehead. Boy, has that crease gotten deeper over the years -- great reason to wear bangs!

I had the embroidery hoop balanced on my lap and I completed several stitches. And, with great excitement, when I lifted the hoop to show great-grandma my work, we realized I had stitched the fabric to my shorts. I stood up and it just hung there off my leg. I know she had a huge laugh over that. I'm sure this began my long history of making something and having to tear it out and start over again. You know, some things you can fudge on and little mistakes are acceptable. Walking around with an embroidery hoop sewn to your shorts just doesn't cut it.

Close up of cross stitch

I am fortunate enough to have a few things made by my great-grandmother (who passed away in the 1970s), including the Chicken Scratch Apron shown above. When you look at the stitches up close, they appear to have 8 points, like a snowflake. I wish I had learned to crochet from her -- she was a master crocheter -- but I am left-handed and she tried and I simply couldn't grasp the concept at a young age.

This is a thank you to all of the people who have taught me crafting and cooking over the years from great-grandma to mom to my home economics teachers in school. We need to get all the young'uns with their elders, learning these things to keep them alive through the generations. My granddaughter had an amazing teacher last year that held a weekly knitting class after school. That room was always full of both girls and boys, happily making hats and scarves for the homeless. They learned a craft as well as how good it felt to do something nice for someone in need.

My granddaughter and I have done a lot together -- knitting, cooking, decorating cakes and cookies, painting, making Christmas ornaments, latch hook and, most recently, tie-dye. When I picture myself sitting on the porch with my great-grandma and realize how loving those memories feel, it makes me cherish these moments so much more!

Keep the flow of creativity going ... teach someone today!

Ta Daaaa - Tie-Dye

I find it amazing that I have done so many different types of crafts over the years, including macrame in the 70's, and have never attempted tie-dye. I've always thought it was cool and it seems there is a tie-dye revival every so often. There is currently an entire booth devoted to tie-dye products at the local farmers' market.

So I had purchased a white terry cloth swimsuit cover up for myself and a white T-shirt for the granddaughter and we prepared to tie-dye both of them. Let the fun begin!

We got a 3-color tie-dye kit from WalMart for $9.99, laid out trash bags to protect the counter top and put aprons on to protect our clothes. I pleated and rubber banded my cover up and she decided to freehand her T-shirt.

I did find out that it's pretty much impossible to take pictures without getting dye on your hands while removing your plastic gloves and putting them back on.

The instructions said to wrap the items in plastic wrap and leave them for 6 to 8 hours. It nearly killed us, but we were able to wait 6 hours. :o  Then wash them in the hottest water possible.

And voila!!! Or should I say, "Wow, man..."  The finished product is fun and colorful and you can actually wear it. And now I can cross tie-dye off my bucket list.